An unauthorized interview

There’s not a reporter in the city who doesn’t want to get a
scoop on what’s happening in the presidential elections, but there are things
that don’t make sense. Big blue men dressed like Roman Gladiators are crashing
dinner parties, showing up to private social events, and just on my way into
the building today I saw two people jump from the roof and then disappear into
thin air. I would have called 9-1-1 but when no one hit the pavement there
didn’t seem to be anything to report. It wasn’t like I believed aliens were
invading the city or anything, I just thought things were getting kind of
strange.

There’s something freaky going on in this city and I aim to
find out what. I wasn’t what I could call a real journalist. I worked for the
college newspaper, and I had an advice column I wrote once a week, but it was
enough to get a press pass around my neck. I found it helped to act more
confident than I felt in big ticket events like this one and sometimes just act
like I knew where I was going and what I was doing. Sometimes it was easier to
get to the truth when I asked for forgiveness rather than permission.

The celebration was going on strong in the reception area,
but with one look around the room I soon realized the man I wanted to interview
wasn’t at his own party.

I overheard two of his security guards talking quietly in a
corner of the room about Girvan Lee scoring with a couple of women upstairs in
the penthouse suite.

What luck! I could corner him for a private interview on his
way out and no one would be around for the excusive details but me. I was
elated to have the opportunity. I might even be able to sell the story to a
much larger paper. My name could be on an article that ran in the Chicago Daily or even The New York Times.

I snuck out of the party to the tower elevator and pressed
the up button. I didn’t really think I would get let into the penthouse suite,
but I had hopes I could get Girvan Lee to talk to me while he was leaving.
Okay, technically what I was doing was probably more like stalking him, but
when it comes to writing it down later, I would try to make this interview
sound as professional as possible. Writing an article is all about your angle. I
turned my camera on in preparation and a bell ding sounded just before the
elevator doors slid opened.

Out stepped two men with a faint blueskin tone. I recognized
Girvan from the publicity shots I got in my press package but the other one was
hot. Tall blue and handsome looked like he belonged in an ad for Medival Times.
He was at least seven feet tall and had this amazing long black hair and his
eyes—oh god his eyes burned the most brilliant golden color. They held me in a
spell that paralyzed me he broke the awkward silence.

“Excuse me, miss.” The sexy warrior said.

“Yes? Oh!” I suddenly realized he wasn’t trying to get my
attention, but let me know I was blocking his way. I didn’t move away but I did
get enough brain power going to snap a quick picture. “Sorry, I wanted a word
with Mr. Girvan Lee.”

This was when I noticed he held Girvan by the scruff of his
neck. I squished up nose, not quite sure if I should scream for help. I
swallowed hard feeling stunned again.

“Mr. Lee is busy. He won’t be available for any more
interviews today,” the tall blue man said curtly.

Girvan rolled his eyes. “Don’t be rude, Saber. Tell our pretty
little earthling the whole truth.” Girvan seemed quite irritated toward his big
blue friend, but then he turned to me in a hushed whisper, “Saber here is
planning to take me back to his space ship and start the party upstairs. He
doesn’t believe Earth should be ruled by higher life forms.”

I blinked back my surprise, unsure of how to respond to
that. “What? Is this some kind of joke?”

“Girvan, what did you do with the mind control staff?” Saber
asked suddenly.

“It’s back in my penthouse, of course.” Girvan’s lips
twisted up in a cruel smile. “I couldn’t leave it laying around for just any
Earthling to pick up.”

Suddenly tall, dark and handsome sparked a dangerous edge to
him. He looked like a warrior ready to spar with anyone who dared oppose him. “Damn
it, Girvan! Lady if you would come with me please I am sure we can answer all
your questions.”

“The name’s not lady! Oh wait, I’m not sure that is a good
idea. I can wait here for you. ” Somehow I knew Saber was ready to use force to
make me go with him and I didn’t feel safe. I stumbled backwards but he managed
to pull me into the elevator and still kept one hand on Girvan. He pressed a
button. The door closed and I felt like a trapped animal with two very
dangerous beasts beside me.

Once the elevator began its stomach churning ascent and we
were alone, I began firing out the questions burning in my mind. “So you’re
aliens? Why are you here?”

Saber sounded impatient but he seemed to be humoring me. “I’m
a bounty hunter. I came for the war criminal, Girvan Lee. Now that we found
him, I can return him to the prison planet J-14.”

I looked at Girvan Lee, quite horrified. “But you were
running for president! How can you be a criminal?”

“Old habits die hard, I guess.” Girvan shrugged. “Earth
seemed like it would be a nice easy place to take over and start a new life.”

“You wanted to take over the world?” My mind was racing. If
the world knew how close it came to voting a criminal into office, would they
be surprised? Would his rule have started another world war? As improbable as
it seemed, I wanted to believe tall, blue and handsome. They both had the same
story and while I knew the rest of the world would not believe it was true, in
my heart I didn’t question it.

“Wouldn’t NASA know if there was a space ship that entered
our atmosphere? How could that not be in the news?” I asked the obvious
questions. The ones I knew I would get asked in return. No one was going to
believe my article unless I had facts to back it up.

The doors on the elevator opened and I was shooed in front
of the two men out into the penthouse lobby. They opened the doors and the
locks for me. I tried not to be impressed, but I was used to living in a dorm
room and it was nothing like this lavish display of wealth.

“NASA can’t see our ship in space and we’ve already
retrieved Girvan’s wreckage. The ship has got a cloaking device on it.” Saber
looked around the expansive room and then back at Girvan intensely. “Where did
you put the mind control ray, Girvan?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Girvan avoided the question and
folded his arms.

“How about I throw you out the window and see how fast you
talk?” Saber suggested.

“That’s a violation of prisoner rights. You could get a
prison sentence of your own for mistreating me and that kind of misconduct.”
Girvan smirked as if he had one over on his captor.

“No one will live to tell about that minor detail if you
don’t talk. Now.” Saber didn’t look like he was joking with the death threat.

“It’s sitting on the bar.” Girvan admitted and I saw what I
thought it might be from across the room. It was a carved wooden staff and it
had a glass like object on top of one end.

“Go get it girl, and bring it back to me,” Saber demanded
while looking straight at me. I shivered, not intentionally but at just the
thought of going near to Saber again. Any woman would react the same way to
him, blue skin and all. He was a looker, and I was not resistant to his charms.

I crossed the room and picked up the staff. It felt heavier
than it looked and something about it felt…powerful. Old. I was about to hand
it to Saber when I thought twice about it. I questioned why I was giving it up
at all. “What is this thing?”

Saber wrapped his fingers around it and pulled it out of my
grip. “This is something you Earth people are not ready for yet. It’s a weapons
designed to keep the races enslaved and ensure a dictator’s reign. This, my
dear, is a mind control device that is also capable of reprogramming simple
life forms memories.”

It was then I understood what he meant to do. He meant to
erase my memories with it as well. It was probably why he answered the
questions so freely. “Why are you even answering my questions? Why not lie.” I
asked feeling my heart thunder in my chest. Would it hurt when he wiped my mind
clean of the memories? Would I become a vegetable afterwards or was it
something that he could use selectively on only some memories?

“I could lie, if it would make you feel better, but in a few
minutes you won’t remember this conversation anyways, so it doesn’t matter what
I say.” Saber shrugged and then his knuckles went white on the large staff. The
jewel glowed green and a brilliant light filled the room.

I saw a light flash from the end of his wooden stick and I
never really knew the answer. I couldn’t even remember the questions because my
memory of the day was gone.

****

I hope you were able to enjoy that little unauthorized
interview with Saber the Krillian bounty hunter and his prisoner of war, Girvan
Lee.

If you would like to read the rest of the story, or read an
actual excerpt then please visit ALIEN PROMISE on the publisher website here: